In contexts such as education and sports, skill-accumulation of individuals over time crucially depends on the amount of training they receive, which is often allocated on the basis of repeated selection. We analyze optimal selection policies in a model of endogenous skill formation where, apart...

In this paper we present a differential game model of two firms with different technologies producing the same good and selling in the same world market. The firm equipped with advanced technology is deciding whether to outsource parts of its production to the home country of its competitor,...

This paper studies the effectiveness of different types of cohesion policies with respect to convergence of regions. A two-region agentbased macroeconomic model is used to analyze short-, medium- and long-term effects of policies improving human capital and fostering adoption of technologies in...

This paper investigates, both theoretically and empirically, the implications that complementary assets needed for the formation of start-ups - proxied by the ease of access to financial resources - have on the innovative efforts of incumbent firms. In particular, we develop a theoretical model,...

In this paper we examine to what extent market conditions facilitating start-up formation affect technical change and firms' profits. We consider a model in which R&D efforts of an incumbent firm generate partly tacit technological know-how embodied in a key R&D employee, who might use it to...

This paper considers investment behavior of duopolistic firms subject to technological progress. It is assumed that initially both firms offer a homogeneous product, but after a stochastic waiting time they are able to realize a product innovation. Production capacities of both firms are product...

Based on a closed agent-based macroeconomic simulation model (Eurace@Unibi) this paper analyzes whether the density of social networks influences via referrals the residual wage inequality in different skill groups. It is shown that an increase in network density leads to a polarization of firms...

This paper analyzes behavior in repeatedly played two-stage games, where players choose actions in both stages according to best replies using 'level-n expectations' about the opponent's actions in both stages. Level-n expectations are recursively defined in a way that a player holding level n...

The paper addresses the question how production capacities on an established market affect the innovativeness of firms. We analyze the strategic interactions in an oligopoly setting where firms offer an established product and have the option to offer an additional new product. We show that the...

In this study we compare the evolution of labour productivity across the majority of EU member countries over the span of 1995-2016. Productivity growth combined with cross-sectoral employment shifts from manufacturing industries towards the service sectors can be observed in all countries. A...